LTCI for Cats Cost and Information

LTCI (lymphocyte T-Cell Immunomodulator) has been used to treat FeLV and FIV for a number of years now.

It was the first USDA-approved treatment for cats diagnosed with either of these diseases And presents a very real chance to improve your cats standard of living and life-expectancy considerably.

While I can’t offer any advice or tell you how LTCI will help your cat. I can outline the expected cost and the information you’ll need to know if you’ve been advised by a vet to follow this course of treatment.

LTCI for Cats Cost

LTCI for cats cost is $50 per shot if you order it directly from the manufacturer. If you have to buy it through a vet, you can expect to pay more.

I’ve heard some people say they paid $75 per shot from theri vet. Some said $100, and unfortunately I’ve heard of it being a lot more expensive.

It’s expensive when you buy the first doses as cats need a triple loading dose. From there you buy more as and when a vet has decided how often your cat needs more doses.

How Many Doses of LTCI Will Your Cat Need?

The exact number and duration of the treatment will be determined by a vet on an individual case-by-case basis.

However, typically you can expect to give your cat an initial three dose loading phase. These three injections will be on the first day, then 7 and 14 days later.

After the loading phase your cat will be given more injections as prescribed by a vet. Symptoms, health, and the results of blood work will determine if they need monthly, bi-monthly, or fewer injections.

I can’t stress enough that there is no hard and fast rule here. Each cat will display different symptoms and respond differently to treatment.

Where to Buy LTCI for Cats

You can buy LTCI online from a number of suppliers or leave it up to your vet to source. You should be careful to only buy from a verified, reputable supplier such as T-Cyte however.

I’m sure you’re internet savvy, but I feel like I should drop a reminder here that this drug isn’t cheap. So it’s tempting to look for cheap offers, but if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

You will only be allowed to buy LTCI if you’re a licensed veterinarian or are ordering on behalf with the permission of a vet that can be verified.

Treating FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus) and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) with LTCI

First of all, I want to point out that LTCI has passed scientific tests and been approved by vets across the US as a safe drug with no known side-effects or contraindications.

It’s a naturally-occurring treatment. It’s not synthetically manufactured, and is administered by a vet with a quick and painless injection.

So there is nothing to worry about from safety and application standpoint.

The drug works by causing different effects on a cat’s immune system which is compromised by the disease.

In simple terms, it effectively helps strengthen the immune system by increasing the number of white blood cells and production of red blood cells.

For those of you interested in the scientific paper explaining the more complicated details. Here is a link to a review by a biomedical consulting company explaining exactly what the drug does the body.

Does LTCI Work?

This is the first question everyone asks, and rightly so. I asked this to a vet and got back the diplomatic answer that it depends on a number of factors like;

The health of the cat, how long they’ve had either FeLV or FIV, how they respond to treatment, and so on.

It’s a fair answer. There are no guarantees. But what I can say is that I’ve read dozens of forum posts, blogs, and spoken with a couple of people in real life who has had a cat go through a LTCI treatment and they all had positive things to say about it.

Everyone saw an improvement. Varied improvements across the board as you’d expect, but an increase in their cat’s standard of living and life expectancy nonetheless.

Most cats see an improvement within days after the first does, especially if the cat is anemic.

It’s a line of treatment to discuss with your vet in detail and act of their advice. A second opinion never hurts if your vet isn’t familiar with LTCI and hasn’t used it before too.